Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-17
A LONG FELT NEED.
A Law Which Will Aid in Checking
Crime in the Indian Territory Made
by the Last Congress.
An Indian Who Kills an Indian officer VIII
be Tried b the United States and
not in the Territory.

z
FqgT SMITH, ARK, May 16.-The fol.
l9wing law passed at the last session OF
| Congress is embodied in the Indian APP
preparation bill, and is one OF the most
important acts passed for the benefs,af
the five civilized tribes of the Indian Ter
ritory, and will do great good in checking
crime in that country when it becomes gen.
orally known that such law exists. The
law, which has never as yet been published
in any newspaper, reads as sAs1lows:
''That Immediately upon and s'after the
passage of this act, any Indians commit.
ting against the person Of any Indian
poll cemap appointed under the lawssiDf
the United States, or anys3ndian United
States deputy marshal, while .lawfully |
engaged in the execution offahy United
States process, or lawfully engaged in
any other duty imposed upon such police
man or marshal by the laws of the United
States, any of the following crimes,
namely: murder, granddaughter or as
sault with intent to kill, within the Indian
Territory, shall be subject to the
laws of the United States re-
Iating to such crimes, and shall be
tried by the District court of the United
States exercising criminal jurisdiction
where said offense was committed, and
shall be subject to the same penalties as
are all other persons charged with the
commission of said crimes respectively;
and the said courts are hereby given
| Jurisdiction in all such cases."
The murder of Captain Sam Sixkiller
| last January is what brought about the
passage of this law, and its existence will
| be hailed with delight by all laWabiding
| af hn Ind
tofore q citizen of the Indian Territory
placed himself in great danger when he
| accepted the position Of United States
Indian policeman or deputy marshal, for
the simple reason that if an Indian killed
him, or attempted to kill him, the United
States courts had no jurisdiction in the
case, and the evasion of punishment for
the crime in the Indian courts was an
easy matter. AS illustrations, take the
cases Of Sam SiXkiller and Henry Miller.
SCHILLER was captain of the Indian police
and also a deputy marshal. He was
Cherokee, and in his Official capacity he
incurred the enmity. OF Dick
| Vaun and Aft Cunningham,
also Cherokees. Knowing that the United
States had no jurisdiction over them if
they took Sixkiller's life they shot him
down without warning. Vaun has never
been arrested for the crime, but Cunning
ham is in the United States Jail here
awaiting hisdelivery to the Indian author
tiles, the court here having no jurisdiC-
ton in the case, because all parties to the
affair were Indians, Notwithstanding the
fact that the United States government
paid $500 for Cunningham's apprehen-
sion, and when taken to the
Indian country be will in all
probability be tried and acquitted, or
make his escape from jail, as he has many
influential friends to back him in his de-
tense. Henry Miller, mentioned above,
was citizen of the Cherokee Nation, but
was acting in the capacity of posse come
tatus for the marshal Of the United
States. He had in custody Cherokee
named Big CheWey, who had light case
to answer for in the United States court
here. They had stopped to camp and
Miller was pitching their tent, assisted
by Chewey, who was driving the stake
pins with an ak while Miller held them.
Suddenly Chewey turned the edge of the
OK and split Miller's head, killing him in
stantly, and then escaped from camp.
He YVES soon reCaptured, however, by the
marshal, who appeared upon the scene
directly after the murder had been COM
mitted. Chewey was lodged in jail here,
but this court having no jurisdiction he
was turned over to the Chero-
kee authorities, when he was
tried by a jury of his country
men, who pronounced him "not guilty"
and turned him loose.
The law quoted above will put a stop
to this sort of things. 1t gives to the
Indian policeman and deputy marshal the
same protection that is given to whites in
the Indian Territory, and hereafter
Indians will be very careful as to the
manner in which they resist United States
Indian officers in the discharge of their
duty.